Death of Eagan man being investigated as homicide

EAGAN, Minn. - Eagan police say they are pursuing the death of a man late New Year's Day as a homicide.

Officers and paramedics were called to an apartment building at 4589 Slater Road just before midnight Tuesday on reports of a man unconscious and not breathing. The man who called 911 told authorities he had been fighting with the victim earlier and the victim was now unresponsive.

When they arrived police found the 36-year-old man unresponsive and began efforts to resucitate him. Unfortunately those efforts were unsucessful.

Officers observed injuries to the victim's face, and took the man's 28-year-old roomate and two other male witnesses into custody for questioning.

A subsequent investigation revealed that the roomate and the victim have been roommates at the apartment since June 2012. Investigators believe alcohol played a role in the altercation: the two witnesses present during the fight provided preliminary breath samples indicating blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of .195 and .205.

BAC levels for the roomate involved in the fight are pending.

Eagan police say they are investigating this incident as a homicide.

The roomate, who has a previous conviction for misdemeanor assault, is currently being held at the Dakota County Jail.

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